Belfast

First impressions, Belfast is in a time warp back to the 1980's, the clothes the shops the general feel of the place. It must have stopped while the fighting was going on and now it's getting all the chain stores and cranes and doing a catchup.
As with all of Ireland so far there are lots of Eastern Europeans working in the bars and shops. More Polish accents than Irish in a lot of the service industries.
Went to the visitors centre and booked a B & B that had good reviews ( we use Trip Advisor" for guest comments... they were right about the Travelodge) Then got a bus and did the Hop on Hop off tour. We visited where the Titanic was launched. We saw the huge fence that was built in the back yards of one street to separate the Loyalist from their Nationalist neighbours. It is marching season so masses of flags here and huge stacks of wooden pallets ready for bonfires.Will be amazing when they go up as there is paint on some of them to add to the flames.

Saw the apartment building that the British Army had the top 2 floors, again to spy on the people.

Went to the B & B and it was lovely, an East Berlin lady married to a Blackcab driver. The room was huge and at the front of the house and there were two bathrooms for the four rooms.

Went to town to find some live Irish music and went to Kelly's Cavern which was a tiny bar ( that OSH would have hated for the low ceilings and all the clutter hanging from the ceilings and round the walls ) Music was great tho.

Then we went for a walk to The Crown, a National Heritage Pub that was being renovate,d it had booths around the walls and you could close the door and be private. We let another couple come in with us and then they discussed their relationship how he's not ready for more than what they have now but she is ( both well into their 40's) The romantic atmosphere got less after his statement. P looks a bit odd as he is holding the camera at arms length and trying to focus and smile at the same time.

Back to Emerald House.
Nice sleep and then breakfast mine was cereal etc from a choice of 7, P had that plus and egg on a plate and 6 types of sliced meat on a plate, very odd. Then some tiny choc Chip muffins.

Up and away to Belfast castle, very nice but commercial, again preparing for a wedding.

The we did our own tour of the "troubled " neighbourhoods, this time down both Falls Rd and The Shankhill Road.

The murals are amazing but the area is now being visited by so many tourists it must be a pain living there. This one shows a sniper, he seems to follow you when you move. They are very skilled paintings and must have taken a while to do. Some had been painted over by the police at the time and some new ones have been done about George Bush and Palestine.

Photo of the courthouse shows the security, huge fences around the police stations about 7 Mts high and cameras everywhere. We passed a school where a gun fight had raged for 5 days in 1996 and the bullet holes where quite visible. Its strange to think the "troubles" were so recent and these people that look and talk the same were trying to kill each other ( a few of them anyway).
Then it was time to go and we drove through Armagh which was closed, Sunday and no one about and no shops open.

To Ashbourne House a quaint village hotel on the web site, a conference venue in reality, still lovely at the front but add ons at the back. Still we had a lovely sunny room and all the mod cons. Went for a walk ,the village is just the right distance from the airport so it's being developed with housing, hotels and shopping centre.
Watched Telly slept and then early start back to Bristol. The previous Blogs are updated now with photos so a revisit might be worth it.